Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1887-08-26

All, those were golden days, =" and he sighed
II am a Frenchman. Need ] say, mes
sieurs, that l admire beauty? Nay,
adore the fair Messieurs, we admire all
the roses in a garden, but we pluck one
| plucked one, and alas, messieurs, it
pricked my finger! She was chamber
maid, her name Annette, her figure ravish-
ing, her face an angels. her heart-alas,
messieurs, that I should have to own it
black and ppery as patent-leather boot.
l loved her; she was so sPirituous and
abandoned u (here 1 have lapsed into Al
phOnSe's original version. Sir Henry sug-
gests that he was trying to translate 81
spirituelle ct abandonnee), that | could
not choose but love her. / loved to desper-
alton adored her to despair. She trans
ported me-in every sense; she inspired
me. Never have ! cooked as | cooked (for
had been promoted at the hOteD when
Annette, my adOred Annette, smiled on
me. Never" and here his manly voice
broke into sob, never shall | cook SO
well again" Here he melted into tears.
Come cheer up" said Sir Henry in
French smacking him smartly on the
back. There's no knowing what may
happen, you know. To judge from your
dinner to-day, / should say you were in a
fair way to recovery
AlphOnse stopped weeping, and com
mcuccd to rub his back. Monsieur" he
said. doubtless means to console, but his
hand is heavy. To continue: we loved,
and were happy in each others love. The
birds in their little nest could not be hap
pier than Aphonsc and his Annette. Then
came the Ow-sapriSti.-whenI think Of
It, Mcssieurs will forgive if | wipe away
tear. Mine was an evil number; l was
drawn for the conscription. Fortune would
bc avenged on me for having won the heart
Of Annette.
"Thc evil moment came; had to 90. /
tried to run away, but / was caught by
brutal soldiers, and they banged me with
! the butt end of muskcts till my mustachiOs
| curled with pain. had q cousin, a linen
| draper, well to do but very ugly. He had
! drawn a good number, and sympathized
when they thumped me To thee, my
| cousin / Said-'tO thee, in whose veins
| flows the blue blood Of our heroic grand
parents -to thee consign Annette Watch
! over her whilst ! hunt for glory on the
| bloody field
| Make your mind easy said he; Twill.
| As the sequel shows, he did.
II went | lived in barracks on black
nature. and | suffered fortunes from the
| coarse horror Of my surroundings. There
was a drill sergeant, and he had Il cane.
| All, that cane how it curled! Alas! never
| can forget it.
zone morning came the news; my bat
TALON was ordered to TOnquin. The drill
sergeant and the other coarse monsters re-
ioicrd II made inquiries about Ton
In
| Tonquin are savage Chinese who rip you
open Ny artistic tastcs-for | am also an
artist -rccoiIcd from the idea Of being
ripped open. The great man makes up
| his mind quickly. made up my mind
determined not to be ripped open. l de-
serted.
81 reached Marscillcs disguised us an
old man went TO the house of my cousin
he in whom runs my grandfathcr's hero
| ic blood-au there sat Annette. 1t was
| the season of cherries They took a double
stalk. At each end was a cherry. My
cousin put one into his mouth, Annette
| put the other in hers Then they drew
| the stalks in till their lips met and alas,
alas that | should have to say it.-thcy
Kissed. Tho game was pretty one, but II
=
| my grandfather boiled up in me- flushed
into the kitchen. | struck my cousin with
the old mans Crutch. How could | tell
that his head was like an eggshell? But
his skull was thin. The crutch went
| through it, lie died. Annette screamed.
The gcndarmcs came. | fled. | reached
the harbor. | hid aboard vessel The
vessel put to sea. The captain found me
and beat lie tAnE pr,nprtnnitv
lie posted letter from a foreign port to
the police. lie did not put me ashore be
cause cooked 50 well. l cooked for him
all the way to Zanzibar. When l asked
for payment he kicked me. The blood of
heroic grandfather boiled within me, and
shook my fist in his face and vowed to have
my revenge. IIe kicked me again At
Zanzibar there was n telegram. | cursed
the man who invented telegraphs Now
| curse him again. | was to be arrested
for dcsertion, for murder, and returned to
the gWlloune. | escaped from the prison
| fled, starved l met the men of Mon
sieur lie Cure. They brought me here
am here full of woe. But return not to
France. Better TO risk my life in these
horrible places than to know the knife of
the CuillOtiuc."
lie paused, and we nearly choked with
laughter, having to turn our faces away.
"Ah! you weep, messieurs, he said. mo
wonder-it is sad story"
'Prrhaps," said Sir Henry, the heroic
blood of your grandfather will triumph
after all; perhaps you will still he great"
HGrcat' replied the little Frenchman,
sadly. II am already great. Iembody the
genius of France. Yes, II with my straw
hat and my little cane, | am Ia France
But will my greatness be recognized That
is the question"
1--WE shall see" said Sir Henry "And I
vote we 90 to bed. | am dead tired, and
we had not much sleep on that COMPOUNDED
rock last night"
And So we did; and very strange the tidy
rooms and clean white sheets seemed to us
after our recent experiences.
CHAPTER v.-UMsLOpoGAAs MAKES \ PRO
MISE
Next morning Mt breakfast missed Flos-
sic and asked where she was
well" said her mother, when got
mp this morning found note put outside
my door in which-Well, here it is, YOU
can read it for YOURSELF" and she gave me
the slip If paper on which the following
was written:
'DEARTSr Nj: 1t is Just dawn, and
am on to the hills to get Mr. @ n bloom
OF the lily he wants, so don't expect me till
you see me. | have taken the white don
key; and nurse and n couple of boys are
coming with me-alSo something to eat as
may bc away all day, "a | am -etermined
to get the lily if have to so twenty miles
for it, FLOSsIE"
Il hope she will be all right" l said a
little anxiously; II never meant her to
trouble after the flower"
"Ah, FloSSie can look after herself, >" said
her mother; she often goes off in this
way, like n true daughter of the wilder
ness But Mr.. Mackenzie, who came in
just then and saw the note for the first
time, looked rather grave, though he said
nothing.
After breakfast was over took him aside
and asked him if it would not be possible
to send after the girl and get her back.
having in view the possibility of there still
being some Nasal hanging about, at whose
hands she might come to harm.
Il fear it would be of no use" he an.
swercd. She may be fifteen miles or by
now, and it Is impossible to say what path
she has taken There are the hills" aud
he pointed 10 a long range of rising ground
stretching almost parallel with the course
followed by the river Tana. but gradually
slipping down 10 a dense buSh-clad plain
about five miles short of the house.
Here l suggested that we might get up
the great tree over the house and search
M fs,1rtr1- T,,rrr,3 with glass. nd